Beat of Destiny
by Meaghen Johnson
Summary: After a run-in with death, young Trunks realizes his true destiny.


March 19, 784  
  
Tomorrow I meet my destiny. I can feel it inside me. The blood of the humans, the blood of the Saiya-jin - it's churning, raging, trying to make itself heard. Its voice has reached its zenith - I finally hear and understand it. Tomorrow, it will all end. One way or another, it will all end.  
  
Tomorrow, I will finally defeat the Artificial Humans. All the pain, all the tears, all the bloodshed - it won't be for nothing. We have all lived in enveloping fear for far too long. I let it consume my heart, my soul. It is because of my weakness that Master Gohan is dead. I have nobody but myself to blame for the solitude and darkness that awaits me. Still…I wish I had someone physically here to guide me, to be my own star in space.  
  
Mother simply does not understand. All she sees me as is her last tie to Earth, the only person who remains in her heart. This fear of being alone blinds her to the reality that is everywhere. I know that, somewhere in her soul, she knows that I am the only one who can defeat the Artificial Humans. She has to know this. I only wish that she would support me now as I meet my fate, now when I need her the most…  
  
But it doesn't matter. A true soldier needs no one. They walk alone: proud, silent, and strong. Father did this. As son of the Prince of the great Saiya-jins, I, too, must walk the dark path of a true soldier. Many have walked this path before me: Father, Master Gohan, and all of the others who have fallen. I cannot afford to fail now. Now, when the eclipse around our great world seems to be becoming eternal, I will not fail.  
  
Tomorrow, I know what I must do. I don't how I will do it, but I know I will find the way deep inside me. I know Father and Master Gohan are with me. Yes, even Mother is. Tomorrow, with all of their love and support, I will alter all of our destinies.  
  
Tomorrow.  
  
  
  
March 23, 784  
  
Sometimes I think God treats existence as a joke. The Earth is just his little theatre that he uses to amuse himself, and we are all actors in some kind of twisted and deranged comedy. Or maybe there is no God at all. Why else would He keep me in this Hell? Why did He let me live…  
  
Darkness was all around me. I could feel its presence: it was a gigantic, frozen void. I felt its grasp…and I let go. It was only for a second, but I gave up. I was so tired - of the fight, of the fear, of life. I just wanted peace so badly, so I gave in…  
  
But something pulled me back. Something wouldn't let me give in so easily. Some warm, bright energy pulled my soul out of the depths of the darkness, and back to cold, hard reality. I've been back for several hours now, and I still don't know if I should thank it or condemn it.  
  
I woke up in my bed, beaten in every sense of the word. I had been there for five days, Mother said. She was by my side, of course. As I looked at her face, which was trying so hard to be strong, a wave of regret oddly came over me. If I had given in, she would have been alone. She would have died alone, like me…  
  
My fated fight never existed. I was just a boy to them. I didn't even make a damn scratch! The power I thought I had was nonexistent to them. They laughed, they toyed, they tormented. I wasn't ready for the game, for their game. I failed, and now I live with this failure taunting me.  
  
So I am left with limited choices. I already tried one of them, but some unforeseen power won't let me complete it for some undisclosed reason. I could train, become stronger than ever before - maybe to a level beyond that of a Super Saiya-jin. But I couldn't live with the failure again. The shame I feel now is almost unbearable. It must be my proud Saiya-jin blood, this arrogance that won't let me live with failure. Besides, a level beyond Super Saiya-jin can't exist. If it did, Father and Master Gohan surely would have reached it and destroyed the Artificial Humans long ago.  
  
My only other option is to listen to Mother and use the time machine. I tried so hard to be strong and to face my destiny on my own, like Father. But I must now swallow hard and admit that I need help. Mother keeps telling me heroic stories of Master Gohan's father, Gokou; wonderful, magical tales of his selfless and kind nature. He does sound like a truly amazing person, but I am starting to believe that our world is lost. So many have failed while fighting with their hearts guiding them. How can one single Saiya-jin succeed where everyone else has not?  
  
I'm thinking too much. The hours since I've awakened have been pure torture, more so than anything else I've experienced. Mother keeps softly purring in my ear that I need my rest. Perhaps I should actually listen to her for once. Though I can't see how such a simple thing as sleep can erase all of the pain and guilt I feel. But I must try. I am alive for some reason, so I must keep doing whatever I can.  
  
Tomorrow is a new day. And one day can change your entire life.  
  
  
  
March 24, 784  
  
Somewhere in the deepness of my own subconscious last night, I made a decision: I will use Mother's time machine. This seems like the only thing I can do to help this world. It's clear to me now that I'm simply not strong enough to defeat the Artificial Humans on my own. I have to find another way to fight, and it seems like it's with the help of this Gokou.  
  
What excites me the most about this journey is not the unknown battles that await (although this may betray my Saiya-jin heritage). It's the fact that I'll finally get to see Father. Throughout my life I've had to piece together my own image from all the separate pieces Mother and Master Gohan have given to me about Father. Now, at long last, I will see my proud father at his prime. I don't know what to expect. I've always imagined him as the perfect specimen of a warrior: proud, noble, and strong. I don't think I'll be disappointed if he's anything less; after all, he is my father. And for the first time since I've awakened from the battle, I am glad that I am still alive.  
  
There is an element of fear of the unknown to all of this, but it quickly subsides. My only real concern is leaving Mother alone in this world. I would never forgive myself if I returned only to find her dead. Naturally she reassures me that she'll be fine, but I'm quickly discovering that I love her too much to believe her.  
  
The Artificial Humans have not stopped their reign of terror. Everywhere I look I see cities in dust, families in shreds, lives cast aside. All of humanity is hiding wherever they can find a safe haven. They pray to a God that doesn't listen for a miracle that doesn't exist. I am tired of waiting for some unseen power to swoop down and save us all. With Hope as my guide, I will change everything. Now.  
  
I will board this time machine and travel to a past long forgotten to forge a future that never existed. Somehow, I will set things right.  
  
I don't know what the future holds. But I shall see what the past has in store.  
  
-Trunks 


End file.
